Makkah News and Updates

Jeddah, Jumada II 02, 1436, March 22, 2015, SPA

As many as 2,997,455 Umrah performers have arrived at and left King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on board of more than 15,205 air flights since the start of Umrah season in the lunar month of Safar 1436 AH until yesterday.

The report issued by the airport management said that the number of Umrah performers who have come to perform Umrah rituals during the Umrah season amounted to 1,500,455 aboard 7,786 flights, while the number of those who have departed was about 1,497,000 Umrah performers aboard 7,419 flights.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/english/print.php?id=1341098

Monday, 23 March 2015

MADINAH — A total of 32 women will be employed as passport processing clerks at the new Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport for the first time in Madinah, the Arabic daily Al-Watan reported.

Madinah Passport Department official spokesman Col. Hisham Al-Radadi said previously, women were only responsible for verifying the photos of female passengers but now they are expected to validate passengers’ passports, visas and their fingerprints.

“The department employed 23 women under military positions and nine under civil services positions. We provided training on the department’s database and software.

They were also trained on using and understanding Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems” said Col. Al-Radadi.

He added the women will be assigned to verification counters in the arrival and departure sections of the airport.

“They will even be authorized to stamp passports for exits and re-entries. They will also be working in the expatriates department to ensure that female expatriates have their medical insurance cards and are picked up by their sponsors,” he said.

Col. Al-Radadi said both male and female employees are equally important for the development of the airport’s services.

“We need to expose our employees to the work environment at the airport to better understand the problems they face and work on solving them,” he added.

Muhra Al-Ghurabi, an employee at the airport, said the department offers them a variety of workshops and training sessions on the different skills required for their job.

“I attended a training session on passenger supervision, registering a candidate into the system, automated Passport Department system and e-passports,” said Al-Ghurabi.

Budour Al-Mutairy, another employee, said she has learned a lot about paperwork and passport forgery. “I learned the common tricks used by fraudsters out there and how they spray their photos with water or perfume so it does not scan properly.

Adding more staff to the airport will expedite the whole process and hopefully improve our services,” said Al-Mutairy.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150323237890

 

‘You can feel peace in the Prophet’s Mosque’

 

The House of Khadijah
__________________________________________________________

Prayer area for women over the House of Khadijah

مصلى للنساء فوق بيت السيدة خديجة

 

Larger view:  www.makkahnewspaper.com/makkahNews/images/March.2015/21.3...

23/03/2015

نفى مصدر مطلع في وزارة المالية صحة الصور المتداولة، عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، والتي قيل إنها الشكل النهائي لمسجد قباء التاريخي بعد التوسعة.

وأوضح المصدر لـ»Ø§Ù„مدينة» أن التصميمات الخاصة بمسجد قباء تختلف تماما عن تلك التصميمات، التي تم نشرها عبر مختلف مواقع التواصل، لافتًا إلى أن التصميمات التي تم تداولها هي التصميمات التي قدمتها هيئة تطوير المدينة المنورة قبل ان يتم التعديل عليها من قبل وزارة المالية.

وأكد المصدر أن التصميمات الجديدة لمسجد قباء والمشروع الحضاري في منطقة قباء سوف يتم الانتهاء منها خلال الأيام القليلة القادمة، وهي التصميمات النهائية للمشروع. وعن المبلغ الذي تم تداوله عن التكاليف المادية النهائية لتوسعة مسجد قباء، والتي تم نشرها في مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، حيث قيل إنها تبلغ نحو 100 مليون ريال، ذكر المصدر أن المبلغ المذكور غير صحيح على الإطلاق، مضيفا أن حجم المشروع كبير جدا وتبلغ تكلفته أضعاف المبلغ المذكور.

توسعة قباء

يذكر أن مشروع مركز قباء الحضاري والمتوقع أن يتم الانتهاء من تصميماته النهائية خلال الأيام القادمة، يتضمن توسعة مسجد قباء، وكذلك توسعة المنطقة المحيطة بالمسجد، حيث ستشهد المنطقة المحيطة بالمسجد إنشاء متاحف متعددة، بالإضافة إلى مراكز للدراسات والبحوث، وكذلك إنشاء المقر الجديد لمكتبة الملك عبدالعزيز التاريخية، والتي سوف يزال مبناها القديم (غرب المسجد النبوي الشريف) في مشروع خادم الحرمين الشريفين للتوسعة الكبرى للمسجد النبوي الشريف ويتم نقلها إلى مقرها الجديد في منطقة قباء التاريخية، بالإضافة إلى أن المشروع الجديد لتطوير مسجد قباء سوف يشهد إنشاء واحد من أكبر أسواق التمور في المدينة المنورة، بالإضافة الى انشاء عدد من الأسواق الشعبية، كما سوف يشهد محيط مسجد قباء تطورات كبيرة على مستوى البنية التحتية، وذلك لتكون منطقة قباء نموذجا فريدا من نوعه للمراكز الحضارية المتكاملة، كما أن منطقة الدراسة المحددة من قبل هيئة تطوير المدينة لوضع صياغة عمرانية وأفكار تصميمية لمركز قباء الحضاري تبلغ مساحتها 177.67 هكتار وتدخل في نطاق خمسة من أحياء المدينة المنورة وهي الجمعة، الدويمة، العصبة، الخاتم والظاهرة.

أهداف المشروع

تتمثل رؤية وأهداف مشروع مركز قباء الحضاري في تأسيس مركز ديني ثقافي اجتماعي سياحي، يوفر خدمات ثقافية واجتماعية وتجارية وسياحية به لخدمة زوار المدينة المنورة وأهلها الكرام، وذلك من خلال استحداث مبانٍ وفراغات عامة ومسارات وانشطة متنوعة ومتناسقة ومتدرجة في اطار متكامل، مع اظهار القيم الجمالية وابراز وتأكيد الهوية التاريخية والمعاصرة للمنطقة ودعم الحيوية العمرانية بها في إطار التوجيه العام للمخطط الشامل للمدينة المنورة.
ومن أهداف المشروع استرجاع الصورة الذهنية الدائمة لمنطقة قباء، كمنطقة مزارع المدينة الغنية بالنخيل والحدائق الغناء، واستعادة الطابع العمراني والهوية العربية الإسلامية لأحيائها السكنية، بالإضافة إلى جعلها مركز إشعاع حضاري خدمي متكامل يليق بمكانتها التاريخية والدينية، وتوفير الأنشطة المختلفة التي تخدم المنطقة بالصورة التي تليق بها.

http://www.al-madina.com/node/596010...%A7%D8%A1.html

Google translation: Denied a source familiar with the Ministry of Finance Health traded images, via social networking sites, which are said to be the final form of Quba Mosque after the historic enlargement.

The source for »City» that designs Mosque Quba q

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

MADINAH — More than 5,000 workers, engineers and technicians are working round-the-clock in a hectic race against time to complete the unprecedented expansion project of the Prophet’s Mosque here.

Sources close to the project said all the basic infrastructure work has been completed and concrete columns are being erected.

About 95 percent of the demolition work has been completed. About 10 hotels to the eastern side of the expansion were leveled to the ground in addition to a number of houses and other utilities to make way for the expansion.

Abdul Wahid Bin Ali Al-Hattab, director of public relations of the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, said the first phase of the expansion will accommodate about 800,000 worshippers while the two others in the eastern and western plazas will accommodate a similar number of worshippers.

“With the completion of the the expansion work, the mosque will comfortably accommodate about 1.6 million worshippers,” he said.

Hattab said the mosque’s present internal capacity is 146,000 worshippers while the roof’s capacity is 90,000 and the combined capacity of the plazas is 600,000.

“At peak times, the number of worshippers go up to a million,” he added.

Mohammed Al-Bijawi, director of the Madinah branch of the Ministry of Haj, said the demolition activities did not affect the number of visitors as precautionary measures were taken and alternative accommodations provided.

He said the delay in the demolition of 26 hotels had helped accommodate the rising number of visitors who have been arriving in Madinah since the Umrah season started on Nov. 23.

Al-Bijawi said integrated services will be provided to visitors during the Umrah season which will continue until the end of Ramadan.

A new central area will be built to include the hotels which have been demolished or are scheduled for demolition in the next phase.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150324237959

March 24, 2015

ABU DHABI // Emiratis are paying more to go on Haj than their Gulf counterparts “because they are getting the best services”, the head of the Islamic authority told the Federal National Council on Tuesday.

However, Ahmed Al Amash (RAK) said high prices — up to Dh50,000 — were deterring many who want to perform the holy pilgrimage.

Dr Mohammed Al Kaabi, chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment, told the member that prices were high because the UAE offered the best Haj packages in the market, in line with the country’s status.

Mr Al Amash begged to differ.

“The cost of Haj in other countries is less and they have better accommodations in Mina,” he said.

He countered that it was the restrictions set on Haj travel agents that were leading to the high costs. He said the condition requiring five-star hotel accommodations in Mecca was not cost effective, due to the rise in hotel prices during Haj, and because the stay was only two days.

Mr Al Amash added that focus should be shifted to the tent accommodations provided in Mina, pilgrims’ second stop after Mecca, which he described as poor.

The location of the UAE tent in Mina requires a difficult walk to Jamrat and pilgrims must take two train rides to get there, a challenge for senior citizens. He said the entrance to the female tent was inconveniently located in front of the entrance to the male tent, reducing its privacy.

“The tents do not suit the UAE, which is always exceptional,” he said.

Dr Al Kaabi asked the member to send all his remarks to the authority, which would provide a detailed response. He reiterated that prices were high because they included plane tickets, the most expensive in the Gulf. Efforts have been made to bring costs down and talks have been held with airlines, but to no avail.

“As for all the transportations and accommodations, we always seek to provide the best services in the UAE, which is the best in the entire world,” Dr Al Kaabi said. “I can assure you of that.

“We cannot give the best for free.”

He said cheaper packages available in other Gulf countries did not provide tents in Mina.

“As for the five-star hotels, if I could put [Emiratis] in seven-star hotels I would, and I would pay for them.”

The location of the Mina tent was assigned to the UAE, and because of its proximity to the train station it was considered a prime spot.

Mr Al Amash also asked why there was a limit on the number of pilgrims the UAE could send. Last year the country sent about 4,700, but another Gulf country sent 20,000.

Dr Al Kaabi said Saudi Arabia determined how many pilgrims each country could send, a number based on the ratio of nationals to expatriates in the country.

After asking Saudi to increase the UAE’s quota several times, the authority received responses that said if the UAE’s numbers were to be increased, the same would have to happen for other countries, and that would not happen.

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/high-c...nc-member-says

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

MAKKAH — The new mataaf (the circumambulation area) in the Grand Mosque will have a capacity to handle 105,000 pilgrims an hour, according to a senior official.

Sultan Al-Qurashi, General Director of Projects at the General Presidency of Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque Affairs, said the expansion of the Grand Mosque project is in its third and final stage.

“Once the project finishes, pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque will be able to circumambulate around the Kaaba on three floors: the basement, ground floor and first floor. These three floors will be ready by Ramadan. We are also opening the roof which will be ready by the next Haj season,” said Al-Qurashi.

So all the floors of the mataaf will be open for pilgrims in Haj, he said.

“The project is going according to plan and our deadlines will be met on time. The expansion of the mataaf is one of the presidency’s goals in expanding the Grand Mosque. Our comprehensive expansion plans include new restrooms and a transportation network,” said Al-Qurashi.

He said there will be helipads near the mosque for medical emergencies so pilgrims can be transported to hospitals quickly especially during the peak seasons of Ramadan and Haj.

“We prioritize pilgrims’ safety and security at all times, and care about hygiene and sanitation for the comfort of pilgrims,” said Al-Qurashi.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150325238178

 

24th March, 2015

The deal free, comprehensive Umrah packages including flights, accommodation and dedicated guides, if needed.

Official bodies will identify and select the list of beneficiaries, Bahrainis, who are unable to finance a Umrah pilgrimage.

Gulf Air’s acting chief executive officer Maher Salman Al Musallam said the move was “a continuation and natural culmination of our ongoing commitment to corporate and social responsibility and our drive to better serve the Bahraini community”.

“These three Umrah contractors have come forward to support our efforts in facilitating Umrah for all and this is truly a welcome and positive development,” he added.

http://www.traveldailymedia.com/2197...mrah-packages/

25 March 2015

ALOR STAR: Two out of 13 pilgrims who are being treated at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital II were tested positive for Flu B and Influenza A (H1N1).

State Health Department director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail in a press statement today said analysis on the blood samples taken from the patients showed that two of them were tested positive for Flu B and H1N1.

Norhizan said five patients have been discharged on Tuesday but another six pilgrims from Kuala Nerang were taken to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital II after they were down with back aches, flu and coughing.

“Until now, four of 10 blood samples which taken from the patients showed that they are negative from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (Mers-COV),” he said in a press statement today.

On Monday, 49 pilgrims from Kuala Nerang who returned from umrah trip on Sunday were rushed to Kuala Nerang Hospital after they showed symptoms such as cough, body aches and flu.

From the total, 15 of them were subsequently transferred to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital II after they developed ILI symptoms. However, two of them were received outpatient treatment.

http://www.nst.com.my/node/78132 ALOR SETAR, March 26

ALOR SETAR, March 26 (Bernama) -- The majority of umrah pilgrims who were admitted into the isolation wards at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) due to an Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) three days ago have been allowed to go home.

State health director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said of the 45 pilgrims, 19 were admitted into the isolation ward on Monday and Tuesday for the illness and 12 of them have been allowed to go home.

"Of the 19 pilgrims, five were allowed to go home on March 24, three on March 25 and four today.

"There are now only seven pilgrims left at the isolation ward and they are being treated as seasonal influenza cases. All are in stable condition and are expected to be discharged soon," he said in a statement here today.

He said for now, there are no new reported cases connected to ILI.

On March 23, 13 pilgrims from Kuala Nerang were admitted into the HSB isolation ward for suspected ILI when they returned to the country last Sunday after performing their umrah.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v8...php?id=1120526

 

Trip to Jeddah tourist sites thrills pilgrims


COLLECTING SOUVENIRS: Umrah pilgrims buy trinkets and rings
near a popular mosque at Jeddah Corniche on Thursday.

Saturday 28 March 2015


Head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais has lauded the stand taken by the Kingdom and other nations against the Houthis in Yemen.

“Yemen has been ravaged by the Houthi militias supported by foreign agencies striving to undermine the security of the Muslim world...”

In a statement on Friday, he said the aim to divide and undermine Muslims countries was motivated by the “expansionist ambitions” of certain nations.

Al-Sudais said he was speaking on behalf of colleagues and fellow imams and preachers at the Grand Mosque. He praised the Kingdom’s leaders for taking action to resolve issues facing Muslims and welcomed the support given by fellow Muslim and Arab nations to purge Yemen from “corrupt” influences.

He said the move also shows the Kingdom is committed to securing its borders and ensuring the safety of its citizens. Saudi Arabia’s security was important for all Muslims because it is the destination for Umrah and Haj pilgrims, he said.

Al-Sudais said the decision by the Kingdom’s ruler to launch operations against the Houthis was in line with the objectives of the Shariah, which calls for the protection of the rights and property of Muslims, and countering corruption.

He said the operation was needed because the Houthis were involved in oppressing the people and had refused attempts at reconciliation and dialogue.
The sheikh said he is calling on the Houthis, from the pulpits of the two Holy mosques, which represents truth, justice and peace.
He said, “We call on this transgressing group to return to its senses and understand that the welfare of the people can be secured by stopping the bloodshed, surrendering their weapons, and accepting the legitimate choices of the Yemeni nation...”


http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/724356